The ongoing
Newsweek imbroglio is reminiscent of a joke from Punjab in the
1980's, when an uncertain and violent political climate in the
state gave cover to a number of criminal gangs. A kidnapper has
nabbed the son of a rich merchant. After allowing the father to
stew for a few days, he decides to send him a ransom note - "Unless
you deliver a quarter of a million rupees, you will never see
your child again."

After phrasing
the ransom note with great care, the kidnapper hands it over to
the hostage saying, "Go and give this to your father!"

There's more...

The son delivers
the note. The distraught father pays up - and sends the son back
to deliver the money!

The current
pile-up of absurdities would be utterly comical if it were not
for the bedrock of tragedy on which it rests.

Which
is worse, that there are
human beings who are just
picked up on suspicion and held
without trial, tortured and abused
(known facts), or that a revered book
has been (allegedly) desecrated?

Following
reports of the Koran being thrown in the toilet at Guantanamo
Bay, first came the agitations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other
places, where people were killed in police firings.

Which
is worse, that there are human beings who are just picked up on
suspicion and held without trial, tortured and abused (known facts),
or that a revered book has been (allegedly) desecrated? Unfortunately
in the Muslim world, detention without trial, torture and custodial
confessions are common occurrences to which people are inured,
whereas disrespect to the Holy Book is a matter capable of causing
uniform outrage. As in the famous insight of the Sufi, Mulla Nasruddin,
one looks for the lost object at a certain place not because it
was dropped there, but because that's where the light is shining
brightest!

The
Bush approach to most problems
is to make a big deal out of a
smaller problem, often ridiculously
unimportant by comparison,
and ignore the real issue.
In the pyramid of lies and evasions
which are a part of our time,
each absurdity is layered over with
a more current one, drummed up
by media cacaphony.

A sober response
would be to investigate the allegation while putting things in
perspective. But, as with the kidnapping story, the American response
too has been farcical. Instead of asking Pakistan (a country founded
and operating on religious exclusivism), Afghanistan (which most
recently has had Islamic law written into the constitution) how
they treat other religions - Saudi Arabian customs tosses copies
of the Bible and the Gita in the waste basket when found on visitors
- the US is at pains to explain that the rules at Guantanamo are
so strict in this regard that the Koran is only supposed to be
handled by a Muslim priest, and with a gloved hand, etc.

A 19th century
Bengali literary icon with a keen nose for hypocrisy wrote a story
where he made the high caste woman boast that, throughout her
long affair with her low-caste lover, she had followed caste rules
diligently - not once had she let him into her kitchen!

For
the US, if copies of the Koran were really flushed down the toilet
at Guantanamo, is it only a matter of concern to Muslims? Why
apologize to the Muslims alone? Why not apologize to the whole
world for this debasement of our values? Quite simply because
then, we would have to answer for a lot more.

Not
one Muslim nation (or any other)
broke off relations with the US
for its illegal invasion and
occupation of Iraq.
So much for Ummah
(the Muslim diaspora) solidarity.
If Muslim countries are genuinely
unhappy over the reported
desecration of the Koran, let them
perform this simple act of protest -
if you can't sever diplomatic relations,
at least recall your ambassadors
from the US.

But
this is the Bush Administration's approach to most things. In
an article in the latest issue of the American Conservative, Paul
Schroeder has pointed out that the Bush approach to most problems
is to make a big deal out of a smaller problem, often ridiculously
unimportant by comparison, and ignore the real issue. In the pyramid
of lies and evasions which are a part of our time, each absurdity
is layered over with a more current one, drummed up by media cacaphony.

For
the Muslim countries, here's a thought. Not one Muslim nation
(or any other) broke off relations with the US for its illegal
invasion and occupation of Iraq. So much for Ummah (the Muslim
diaspora) solidarity. If Muslim countries are genuinely unhappy
over the reported desecration of the Koran, let them perform this
simple act of protest - if you can't sever diplomatic relations,
at least recall your ambassadors from the US.

THE
TILLMAN SCANDALGreg
Mitchell, Editor & Publisher. In the week after Newsweek's retraction,
where is the comparable outrage over the military's cover-up of the friendly
fire' death of Pat Tillman? And where is a Scott McClellan lecture on
ethics and credibility?Click here

WHAT
SMOKING GUN? WHERE?Robert
Dreyfuss, TomPaine.com. Why have the media virtually ignored a credible
memo indicating that the administration lied about its plans to wage war
on Iraq and that it fixed the intelligence to do so?Click here

AN
OPEN LETTER TO JOURNALISM SCHOOL GRADSGreg
Lindsay, mediabistro. What do you get for your $30K+ J-school diploma?
A set of unrealistic expectations and a view from one small slice of the
media pie.Click here

NORTH
CAROLINA CHURCH STANDS BY SIGN SAYING QURAN 'SHOULD BE FLUSHED'The
pastor of a small Baptist church has refused calls to take down a sign
posted in front of his church reading "The Koran needs to be flushed,"
saying Tuesday he has nothing to apologize for.Click
here